June 30, 2010
2325 Rayburn House Office Building – 12:00 pm
202 SVC – 3:30 pm

Seasonal forecasters predict that 2010 will produce between 14 and 23 named hurricanes -- the most active season since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina and 27 other named storms swept the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. As economic challenges continue and oil spews from the damaged Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf, the growing impacts to the region’s economic recovery and unique ecosystems are staggering. What risks does an active hurricane season pose for other energy-related infrastructure, for inland areas as storm surges push oil beyond beaches and marshland, and for stakeholders dealing with flooding in coastal communities in the Gulf and along the East Coast? Can recent advancements in hurricane prediction help manage these risks? Might related climate change impacts exacerbate them in the future? What does an increasing scale of catastrophic loss associated with hurricane activity mean for critical services provided by the insurance sector? Please join our panelists as they address these questions and discuss research results, institutions, and processes in place to help manage potential catastrophic risk of this hurricane season. 

Moderator

Heidi Cullen
CEO and Director of Communications, Climate Central
Introduction

Speakers

Greg Holland
Director, NCAR Earth System Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research
The Potentially Disastrous 2010 Hurricane Season

Rick Luettich
Professor & Director, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Potential Impacts of a Hurricane on Oil from Deepwater Horizon

Rowan Douglas
CEO, Global Dynamics, Willis Re and Chairman, Willis Re Research Network
Integrating Catastrophe Risk Catastrophe Risk , Insurance and Public Science

Sponsors

American Geophysical Union
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
National Science Foundation
Pew Center on Global Climate Change
Weather Coalition
Congressional Hazards Caucus Alliance